Shoe



July 4, 1939. E. w. WILKINSON ET Al. 2,155,138

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Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES SHOE Edward W. Wilkinson and George D. Hurd, Wakeeld, Mass., assignors to L. B. Evans Son Company, Wakefield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 4, 1937, Serial No. 178,136

2 Claims,

This invention relates to the manufacture of turn shoes or slippers and, in one aspect, con-v sists in an improved construction designed to improve the heel seat portion of a shoe with re- ;v spect to appearance and strength and to introduce important savings in material and labor into its process of manufacture. The invention contemplates, iirst, the employment of a short sole, that is to say, a sole which does not extend fully to the rear end of` the heel seat but terminates beneath the heel somewhat to the rear of the heel breast line, thus introducing a saving of outsole material. The invention also contemplates a novel manner of fitting the heel seat V to receive a finished heel and a novel structure securing the parts of the heel and heel seat together.

Heretofore it has been the practice to use full length soles in the manufacture of turned shoes or slippers, and the soles have been graded so that, for each size of shoe, a sole of different dimensions is provided. Similarly, it has been necessary to use counters and shank pieces which have a range of sizes corresponding to the range of sizes of the completed shoes. One important advantage of this invention is that the elements going into the heel pocket and heel seat may be prepared in relatively few different sizes to cover a comparatively large range of shoe sizes.

Although attempts have been previously made to use short soles in the construction of turned shoes, it was impossible to anchor the rear end of the sole securely, with the result that the f orepart of the shoe was not rigidly secured to the heel pocket, or counter portion of the shoe. Unless the rear end of the sole is securely anchored, there is danger that the forepart and the sole may pull away from the heel seat.

A further advantage of this invention is that it provides a combination whereby the heel seat of the shoe may be preiitted for the reception of a finished heel which will lie on the heel seat with its finished and beaded edges in direct contact with the overlasted portion of the upper, 45"? thus obviating the operations of trimming, scouring and burnishing the heel on the shoe.

To secure the objects and advantages above outlined, a sole is employed which terminates at its rear end in a tongue considerably reduced in 501 width at the heel seat end. The shoe is lasted to the inner surface of the sole in the ordinary fashion except for the fact that the heel seat portion is not lasted. The sole is then sewed to the upper forwardly from a point slightly behind .the heel breast line. Subsequently the shoe is removed from the last and turned, whereupon a molded counter having a tuck secured thereto is placed in the heel pocket between the upper and the lining. A shank piece attached to a metal shank stiiener having an elongated slot near its rear end may be then placed on the tuck and the shoe is relasted. After the relasting operation, the heel seat is lasted in conventional manner, with the heel seat lasting nails clenched in `the upper surface of the shank piece. Subsequently the rear end of the sole is shouldered on either side to fit the forward corners of a finished heel, and the shoe is now ready for the heelingv operation The heel is attached in the usual manner except for the fact that one attaching nail is driven into the center of the heel and extends through the reduced end of the sole, the tuck, the slot in the shank stifiener, and the applying to the counter, the tuck, and the shank piece. This is accomplished by grading soles so that the width thereof` at the heel breast line is the same for four consecutive sizes, although the forward portions of the soles differ inY dimensions according i to ordinary shoe making practice. It will be apparent that the short sole permits a saving of outsole material and that the fact that only four sizes of heels, counters and shank pieces need be stored to take care of the construction, for example, of shoes ranging in sizes from 51/2 to 13, renders purchasing easier and reduces stock requirements to a large degree. f

The several features and objects of` the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a bottom view of a slipper embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the shank piece and shank stiffener used in the slipper,

Fig, 3 is a view in perspective of a counter and tuck,

Fig. 4 is a view partly in perspective and partly in cross section of a heel and heel seat assembled according to the invention, and

Fig. 5 is a view in cross section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The structure of the slipper shown in the drawing will be best understood from a description of the manner in which the slipper is assembled. A short sole I0, terminating at its rear end in a reduced or tapered tongue, is tacked with its grainv side next to the bottom of a last. Subsequently the forepart of an upper I2 and lining I4 are lasted, While inside out, to the forepart of the sole, and the forward corners of the heel pocket are similarly lasted to the sole I0, the heel seat portion of the upper and lining being left free. The rear end o-f the sole Ill lies approximately under the center of the heel seat. Then the sole is `attached to the forepart of the upper I2 and to the forward portion of the heel pocket by a line of stitching which runs from the shouldered portion' of the sole forwardly around the toe and back along the opposite side. The neXt step is to removerthe lasted shoe from the last and turn it right side out. Then a molded counter I3 is inserted in the heel pocket between the upper I2 and the lining I4. Stapled between opposite sides of the conventional flange of the molded counter I3 is a Yfibre tuck I5.' Over the fibre tuck I5 and in engagement therewith is placed a shank piece IB having an elongated metal shank stifener Il molded to shape and attachedto its under surface by a pair of spurs at each end. The shank I stiffener Il is providedin its rear end with an elongated centrally disposed slot VI 8.

After the'insertion of the molded counter I 3 vand the shank `piece I6 with its attached metal stiffener, the` shoeis replaced on the last, or on a second last, and the free margin of the upper I2 and lining I4 is wiped in overthe heel seat. Last-V ing tacks 9 are then driven to secure the overlasted margin of the upper I2 and lining I4 tol the shank piece I6. Subsequently the rear end` of the sole It) is cut or fitted as shown to form recesses I I for the reception` of the forward corners of a rubber heel. A practical method of locating the recesses I I in the fitting operation is to place a rubber heel over the end of the sole and the heel seat and then score the surfaces of the sole while using its breast edge of the heel as a guide.

, It will be noted that the rear end of the elongated metal stiffener .I'I extends as a bridge beyond the rear end'of the short sole III, being fastened to the shank piece lI5 at a point beyond the rear end of the tongue of the short sole.

Preferably a rubber heel 2lV having a wooden core or embedded rigid insert member 22 is employed in the shoe, although it is quite possible to utilize other types of heels.V The heel 2l is secured to the heel seat by a series of marginal at,

taching nails I 9 which are driven through ythe rubber of the heel and seated with their heads against the Wooden core E2. The attaching nails I9 extend from the heel through the upper I 2, the flange of the counter I3, the tuck I5,'the lining I4, and are clenched in the upper surface of the shank piece I 6. At the same time a centrally-V located nail 20 is also driven through the heel 2l and seated with its head against the wooden core 22 ofthe heel. This nail 2G extends through the short end or tongue of the sole Il), the tuck I5, the slot in the shankstiiener I1, and is clenched or embedded in the upper surface of the shank piece I6. The nail 2!) positively anchors the sole IB, the heel and heel seat against relative movement and at the same time locks the shank stiifener' Il' securelyin place, with the result that the :heel 2l', the sole IU, the tuck l5, the shank stiffener I1, and the shank piece I6 are Afirmly and permanently united. It Will be seen that the; slot Iain :the metal shank stiffener affords the clearance and manufacturing tolerance necessary to vinsure that theA nail 20 shall pass through it.`

eliminated, a fact which substantialy reduces the cost of production. It will also be obvious that less outsole material isl required by the above disclosed process than. in usual methods of shoe manufacture.

result of the foregoing process.

l Shoe sizes 6%, 7 8%, 9 lOl/2, ll 121/5, 13

Counter size. 1 7 9 l0 l1 Heel sizem-. 24 26 28 30 Tuck size., 24 26 28 30 Shank size 9 f l0 ll ll Pocket size. 7 9 l0 11 Toy facilitate operations under the foregoing, using the sizes shown in the table, it is helpful to. use lasts which are a triiie wider at the base of the heel and a trifle narrower at the upper portion of the heel than is conventional. Such an arrangement permits atight t at the top of the heel pocket while allowing greater tolerances at the heel seat portion of the shoe. Manufacturers of slippers will at once understand and appreci-` ate the value to be derived from the combinations of sizes mentioned in the above table. Although many possiblel variations from the foregoing description will be apparent, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the appended claims. v We claim:l

l. A shoe comprising a short sole terminating in a heel tongue Aof reduced width; a shank piece shaped to cover the heel end of the shoe; ame- ,tallic stiifener attached to the underside of the shank piece and having an end extended rearwardly beyondy the tongue of the sole; Yan upper including a counter secured to the shank piece; a tuck secured to the lower margins of said counter, said tuck being in engagement'with the underside of the rearwardly extended end of lthe metallic stiffener; and a fastener passing through the tongue of the sole, the tuck, and the metallic stiifener, and havingv one end embedded in the shank piece.

2. A shoe comprising a short sole terminatingV in a heel tongue of reduced width; a shank piece shaped to cover the heel endof the shoe; a metallic stiifener attached to the underside of the shank piece and having an end extended rearwardly beyond the tongue of the sole; an upper including a counter secured to the shank piece; a tuck secured tothe lower margins of saidV counter, said tuck being in engagementwith the underside of the rearwardly extended engd of thel metallic stiffener; a rigid member adapted to form part of a heel; and a fastener passing through the rigid member, the tongue of the sole, the tuck,

and the metallic stiii'ener, and having one end` embedded in the shank piece.

EDWARD W. WILKINSON. GEORGE D, HURD. f

als, 

